Destin City Beach Restoration Days Away

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Destin City Beach Restoration Days Away

Saturday, April 28, 2007

Relief for a stretch of Destin’s beaches is on the way. Greg Kisela, Destin city manager, met Wednesday with representatives from Great Lakes Dock and Dredge, the Chicago-area contractor of the $28 million Destin/Walton County beach restoration project, to discuss when restoration would begin on 2 miles of Destin beach east of Henderson Beach State Park.

Kisela said Great Lakes has told the city that the dredge Liberty Island would arrive in Destin on Friday or Saturday of next week and that pipes and other construction equipment would be mobilized next week in anticipation of the dredge’s arrival. The Liberty Island was used at the onset of the project a year ago, before it was stopped by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers following a fourth sea turtle death, exceeding a governmentmandated quota on sea turtle deaths.

Great Lakes completed the 5-mile Walton County portion of the project in January but had to leave the area shortly thereafter to construct another project the company had previously contracted for in South Florida. Kisela said having a restored beach in Destin will be worth the wait. “It has been a long time coming but we are excited about restoring the eastern portions of our critically eroded beaches,” he said. “Once restored, the renourished beach will provide enhanced protection to the upland private and public properties in time for the upcoming hurricane season.”

Though many residents will be excited to see a dredge pumping sand onto beaches in Destin, some members of the Destin City Council voiced concerns that the restart date was dangerously close to two important dates: the May 1 beginning of sea turtle nesting season, and hurricane season, which begins June 1. The restoration project is expected to take 45-50 days and will add 80-100 feet of new beach. The restored beach is designed to protect upland structures from storms as strong as a Category 3 hurricane, which can generate winds of 111-130 mph and storm surge of 9-12 feet.

A portion of the original $22 million cost of the project has already been paid. Upon completion, the total cost of the project is expected to exceed $28 million.

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